This invention relates to a method and apparatus for assembling a subcombination of components for use in manufacturing a wet motor circulator. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for assembling an encapsulated sleeve about a subassembly comprising a rotor mounted on a shaft and a plurality of bearing support members, each of which includes bearings, positioned on each side of the rotor about the shaft while the subassembly is fixed in an assembly fixture. Still more particularly, this invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for assembling such a combination of components by the use of an assembly fixture which includes means for maintaining the sleeve in axial alignment with the subassembly which is axially fixed and aligned in an assembly fixture while the subassembly is axially positioned in a curing fixture mounted on the assembly fixture and for forceably ejecting the sleeve to encapsulate the subassembly when so positioned.
An encapsulated wet motor circulator and a method for assembling such a circulator are known to the art. The wet motor circulator ultimately produced by a method known to the art is substantially similar to the structure herein. Briefly, the wet motor circulator of the type described includes an arrangement in which the rotor of the electric motor is supported within a sleeve which is isolated from the stator. Bearing support members on either side of the rotor are structurally located within the sleeve to form a subassembly of components for the circulator.
In the method for making a wet motor circulator according to the art, the rear bearing support member is first fixedly secured within the sleeve by a curable adhesive and then the adhesive is cured. Thereafter, the shaft of the rotor is inserted into the secured rear bearing support member and the front bearing support member, having adhesive applied to the outer surface of the front bearing support member, the shaft and the rotor are consecutively positioned within the sleeve for subsequent curing in a curing fixture. While that method of manufacturing presented a number of significant advantages over the prior art, it remained a problem to assemble the subcombination of components within the container and apply the container thereto using a single curing step rather than by requiring a two-step curing process as described above. Moreover, by first securing the rear bearing support member within the sleeve, certain problems of ultimate alignment occurred with respect to the entire subassembly because the position of the rear bearing support member ultimately determined in large measure the axial alignment of the components within the sleeve. Thus, it is an aim of this invention to provide a method for assembling a subcombination of a rotor and shaft and the associated bearing support members, including bearings, within a sleeve for use in a wet motor circulator with a single curing step while providing precise axial alignment of the components.
Accordingly, it is a broad objective of this invention to provide an improved method of assembling a subcombination of components for use within a wet motor circulator.
It is another objective of this invention to provide a method for assembling a subcombination of components of a wet motor circulator by using a curing fixture both for retaining the rotor and a pair of associated bearings in precise axial alignment while an encapsulating sleeve member is positioned about the subassembly and for maintaining such precise alignment while curing.
It is another objective of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing such subassembly by applying curable adhesive to a first bearing support member, aligning the sleeve on an axis defined by the shaft of a subassembly of components comprising the rotor and the supporting bearings, forceably ejecting the sleeve from an assembly fixture to envelop the component subassembly in a precise axial relationship and subsequently curing the adhesive while maintaining such alignment.
It is still another objective of this invention to provide apparatuses for conveniently practicing the method of assembly thus described.
These and other objectives of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed written description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.